Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Chao.
Hi Tina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a 3D Artist at BUCK. Before joining the Animation industry, I had a background in Electronic Engineering back in college. With a passion about CG Animation, I switched the path into Computer Arts and earned my MFA degree in Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts(SVA) in New York. After graduating, I relocated to LA and started my 3D Animation Journey at BUCK since 2019 late summer. As a 3D generalist, I often need to change my role based on project needs and do different kinds of jobs like lookdev, lighting, compositing, and a little bit of modeling….etc. However, I was always attracted by the fascinating relationship between light and shadow, and how it affects color and shading, I specialized in lighting and compositing, enjoy working with the magics of color and shapes. With the accumulation of experience, time, and a diverse range of projects have made me grow into a 3D Artist who is lucky has changed to have lots of amazing work experience. And I will consistently deliver top-tier work in my 3D Journey.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I said, I was not doing anything 3D-related in the beginning. With a combination of zero 3D Animation-related knowledge and a relatively late transition on the career path, it’s actually pretty hard for me to learn 3D at first. Since the animation industry is not popular in my country, and the working environment is not as good as expected. I had to cross two huge thresholds of language and knowledge at the same time to achieve my goal. And it’s not always easy while you’re alone, speaking none-first language and pursuing the dream in a foreign country. And as lots of you know. With a very realistic visa issue, all these will bring too many irresistible factors in the whole journey, and the difficulty will be beyond triple.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am doing 3D Animation and specialize in lighting and compositing. Enjoy playing with lighting and color, and seeing the relationship between them. For most of the time, I use Maya and Nuke during work but also use other different software as needed. I worked on a diverse range of work, from commercial to film, device to character. I’ve worked on The League of Legends 2021 Worlds Show Open, the Music Video of Enemy (Imagine Dragons, JID), Netflix 2021 Limited Series We the People Episode 9: We the People, Netflix Love, Death, & Robots Volumes 3: Night of the Mini Dead, and also Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse…etc.
I am proud of all of them, but will choose the Night of the Mini Dead from Love, Death & Robots if need to pick one. Because this is the series I already loved and luckily have a chance to work on it till the very end.
I have been told by my supervisor that he is more willing to put me into the interested project since I am always willing to try out new things, think about new approaches, and feel excited the projects even though I will be struggling with. I guess this is what sets me apart me from others.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Movie night with family! There is a period of them me and my family will pick a movie from a local video rental shop and enjoy our weekend night. Even though I am not always watching it till the end but still one of the favorite childhood memories that often popped in my head till now.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
https://buck.co/work/sony-pictures-animation-spider-man-across-the-spider-verse https://buck.co/work/microsoft-app https://buck.co/work/love-death-robots https://buck.co/work/riot-games-lunar-new-year https://buck.co/work/we-the-people-stronger
